Konami have all-but-confirmed they will be using the Fox Engine in the next generation of Pro Evolution Soccer.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Senior producer Naoya Hatsumi told the site that Konami will try to regain the number one spot by introducing a new engine into the PES series.

"What we are trying to do is we are going to win back the crown when it comes to the next generation. That’s what we want to do, and to do this we need to have a new engine. That’s what we think.

We have to use a new engine. Have you heard of the Fox Engine? We are working very closely with them."

Hatsumi also confirmed a Vita version of PES is on the way.

"We're not saying that we're not going to have PES on the Vita forever. We're working on development for a Vita version, of course, but it may not happen for PES 2013.

"In the wider sense, we're looking into the future of the Pro Evolution Soccer series, and we think people's lifestyles have changed rapidly. People used to sit in front of a TV, in front of a console and play our game using a controller - that was the norm.

"But that's been changing quite rapidly, and people no longer just use the console to access the game, because you are using your iPhone, for example, or a tablet. So much more, people have potential access to our game if we have it on those devices. That's the future, and that's how we can expand the series. Vita is one of them, but it's not the only option that we should go for. That's our basic idea."

In other news, Konami have released more details regarding the position of Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka:

"He is working on a new PES project but we can't give you any details on that. If everything goes well probably Seabass will be able to announce something at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Konami manager Toru Kato also ruled out that the 'new PES project' is PES 2014 and beyond:

"In order to make it that much clearer, it's not the next generation product that Seabass is working on. It's something quite new."